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A string of bar closings is leaving fewer places to stop on downtown bar crawls.

Three watering holes have closed for good, and a fourth — Friday Night Lights — follows suit on Labour Day.

It’s par for the course in an industry where margins are thin and competition is fierce.

“I think the hospitality sector generally is not an easy business within which to make a good living,” said Peter Mullins, a realtor who has sold many downtown commercial restaurant listings.

The latest two casualties had respectable runs.

Friday Night Lights is closing after Labour Day. The restaurant owned by Tim Best, the husband of former mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, opened on Richmond St. seven years ago. The new owner plans to relaunch the venue as the Grinning Gator Bar and Grill.

And after more than five years in business, The Coates of Arms closed the doors on its Talbot St. location on Sunday.

Earlier this summer, The Honest Lawyer and Downtown Kathy Brown’s were shuttered. The duo had been a core staple for the past 16 years.

The reasons behind the demise of bars and restaurants range from financial problems to leasing and landlord issues.

But for every “for sale” sign on a closed bar or restaurant, there are success stories.

Joe Kool’s has been in operation for 31 years and its neighbouring hangout, Jim Bob Ray’s has been open for 21. Mike Smith, the owner of both establishments, credits his success to one key principle.

“We’ve always gone after every age group, every demographic.”

Smith said he’s strived to make Joe Kool’s an inclusive environment — the kind of place where white- and blue-collar workers young and old can meet for a drink.

And though starting a downtown bar or restaurant is challenging, it hasn’t deterred newcomers such as Zack Agathos, owner of the Icarus Resto Bar, from breaking into the Richmond Row scene.

The trendy Mediterranean fusion restaurant has been open for three weeks.

“The support from the community has been outstanding. I’m very appreciative of it,” he said.

Agathos is aware that restaurants and bars frequently change hands or struggle in the beginning, but he said taking advantage of consumer trends is one of the keys to success.

“Society is constantly evolving, there’s always different trends,” Agathos said. “You have to adapt if you want to survive.”